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Bluegreen
Aspen, Colorado
970-429-7499
bluegreenaspen.com
What's your style?
Our work tends to be rather contemporary and minimalistic, but always warm and engaging. We think of our designs as art grounded in function. It's an idea that we carry out through plant material and other sculptural elements that can function as art, like a pool, for example.
We love working with cast-offs from the building site that can be reused—stone veneer can be incorporated into stream beds or walls, timbers can be repurposed as benches and leftover pieces of reclaimed wood can create stairs —and we do some cool things with really cheap materials, too. We once used simple rebar to create a striking perimeter fence.
You'll also notice plant compositions that are unique. We're always looking for plants that may not be perceived as ideal for this climate but that do in fact work.
How does your design process begin?
We're known for our collaborative design process and we achieve the best results when we're involved from the very beginning, so typically, our first visit takes place before the home is even constructed. Initially, we're thinking about siting the house to take advantage of views and solar gain, and we also consider the microclimates that might exist on the site and the animal habitats and existing plants that we'll want to work around. We also talk extensively with the client to determine their priorities. What degree of maintenance and regeneration are they hoping for? Do they want a water feature? A spa? Or are they looking for a more natural, minimal approach?
How do your designs connect a home with its natural surroundings?
Lately, our clients are very interested in creating outdoor rooms; places to entertain or just hang out in. So we're always looking for opportunities to extend interior living spaces to the outdoors. It's easy to see why collaboration with other members of the design team is so important at this stage. We need to know how a water feature or pool might relate to interior spaces so we can create material or textural connections between those spaces.
These days, many homeowners have less to spend, so where is a good place to start to make the most impact?
The best value is in site preservation. At the outset of every project, we create a preservation plan to identify the limit of our work. A master plan like this covers all the big ideas so that you're always working toward a singular, clearly defined vision, even if you only have the budget to implement a few things each year.
Embellishing nature--working with elements that already exist on the site—is another smart way to save money. We once designed a site that had to be cleared of several gambel oaks before construction of the home could begin. The trees were cut into firewood and stacked between some of the remaining trees for practical reasons, but it ended up looking like art, so we left it. It's about working with nature and letting the design unfold.
You're known for being very “green” as well. Tell us why.
Sustainability is embedded in all of our projects; we think about it from the very beginning. It starts with all the elements of good site design. We like to condition outdoor spaces passively, so we look for opportunities to create terraces that can benefit from being on the sunny side of the home and protected from wind, and we think about where trees should be positioned to provide shade.
Limiting turf is always a goal, so we incorporate a lot of native grasses into our designs. When the site is initially cleared for construction, we save as many plants as possible, often keeping them in onsite nurseries until they can be replanted. When clients request a lush landscape, we search out substitutes that use less water, like low-growing perennials that can provide the same experience as grass. And, rather than planting the most lush plants on the sunniest side of the house where they'll require more water, we plant them in the shade. In places where irrigation is necessary, we install smart irrigation controllers that monitor weather conditions, including temperature, wind and soil moisture, to carefully manage irrigation timing and duration for each zone, which conserves a substantial quantity of water.
Do you choose materials with an eye toward sustainability, too?
Each material we specify is chosen with sustainability in mind. For example, we'll incorporate 100% recycled and recyclable glass tile in a water feature or a screen wall. For hardscaping, we often choose “greened” concrete, which contains higher percentages of fly-ash, as well as earth-based pigments and locally sourced aggregate, and requires less steel rebar or mesh structure. We use bitublock, which contains high percentages of crushed glass, sewage sludge ash, and/or steel slag, for masonry units or pavers, and we incorporate ‘old but new' retaining and site wall methods, from rammed earth to gabions filled with rock sourced from the site. And of course, we always try to repurpose construction or demolition materials—timber, stone, crushed concrete, recycled concrete and asphalt—outdoors as well.
What's hot now in landscape design?
Incorporating technology into the landscape is a growing trend. This ranges from security systems and lighting to outdoor entertainment centers and workspaces. Many clients want to be able to project images, film clips and light displays onto screen walls that serve as dividers between outdoor “rooms,” so we're working more frequently with audio/visual companies, too.
The concept of “less is more” is also becoming increasingly popular. A client may have the rights to build a 10,000-square-foot home, but he's choosing to build a 3,500-square-foot home instead. Outside, this concept means creating less of a disturbance to the natural environment, creating more flexible spaces that can be used in multiple ways, and using simpler materials that may be less expensive but offer detailing that's unique, like that rebar fence.
Top Perennial Picks
Included in this list are a few perennials—lime green coral bells, lightning flash tickseed and gold heart bleeding heart—that beautifully illustrate the current trend of incorporating foliage with bright, acid or electric hues.
- Blue switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Prairie Sky'): Tight-growing upright columns of sky-blue foliage are topped by sandy-colored flower spikes in the fall
- Sundown Big Sky coneflower (Echinacea x ‘Evan Saul' PPAF): An intense orange coneflower with fragrant blooms
- Kobold gayfeather (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold'): Low clumps of grassy looking leaves bear spikes of bright magenta-purple flowers beginning in midsummer
- Jose Select tall wheatgrass (Elytrigia elongata ‘Jose Select'): Adds winter interest with a tall, stiffly upright habit and straw-yellow flower stalks that aren't flattened by heavy snow
- Lime green coral bells (Heuchera ‘Pistache'): A robust grower with large, light lime green to chartreuse-yellow leaves and, in summer, cream flowers
- Lightning flash tickseed (Coreopsis tripteris ‘Lightning Flash'): Striking gold foliage with light yellow flowers in late summer
- Gold heart bleedingheart (Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart'): Chains of pink and white locket flowers on a plant with stunning bright yellow foliage
Linda Iverson
Linda Iverson Landscape Design
Big Timber, MT
406-932-5840
When we look at a garden of your design, how do we know it's yours?
I always opt for a very natural look, as opposed to the traditional lawn and garden bed design. I want each house to look very settled in its landscape, so I embrace the natural environment around the house, pulling in lots of indigenous plants. My in-town projects are much more designed than those in rural settings, but I still try to limit lawns, using perennials and grasses instead.
How do your designs connect a home with its natural surroundings?
My rural designs take their cues from the surrounding landscape, which gives them a strong sense of place. It's really just about observing what's already there—what grasses, trees and shrubs are growing naturally, what the soils are like—and then ‘idealizing' nature a bit. I bring all of those native elements in, adding more and more diversity as I approach the house. I love to heavily plant entry areas, and as you move back toward the natural surroundings, the plantings become fewer and fewer until they blend right in.
Do you design with sustainability in mind?
Sustainability is the natural result of blending my designs with the surrounding landscape; I'm doing it without even thinking about it. It's about selecting plants that don't require a lot of input, from insecticides to fertilizers to water, and avoiding those that aren't adapted to the climate or soils. Using native plants is also a sustainable choice in that they have a whole host of creatures that depend on them for food and shelter. By selecting these plants, you're perpetuating those relationships.
There will always be some maintenance required to make an area useable for humans. But by not over-watering or making the bubble of your landscape too large, you can keep the impact to a minimum.
Do you consider how a garden will look during the winter?
I always plan for winter so my designs don't just disappear during those months. I look for plants that hold up and won't fade into the background, like taller grasses and perennials that can get up over the snow. I also choose plants with interesting textures to create dynamic compositions year round. It's a more subtle look in winter, with a beautiful palette of ambers and grays, beiges, silvers and sages.
What inspires your designs?
I'm typically designing around a specific structure, and its architecture speaks to me and guides my design. I want the landscape to complement, and even enhance, the house, so I try to incorporate architectural elements, from stone to steel to stucco walls, into the landscape. Sometimes the architecture presents me with challenges, but those are often what make the resulting landscape really special.
Which do you prefer to work with, native plants or exotics?
I like to incorporate exotics from time to time because they can help to extend the seasons a bit. However, in rural areas, I'm really careful to choose exotics that have been tested and that pose no threat of becoming weeds. Certain exotics are prolific seeders, so I don't want to use any with the potential to escape and begin to take over.
What's hot now in landscape design?
One fun trend is a pollinator garden. People often think of insects as pests that need to be eradicated rather than attracted, but now, partially in response to the mysterious decline in honeybee populations, they're starting to think about what plants can do for pollinators and how important that is. Pollinators can use exotics as sources as well as natives, so pollinator gardens have the potential to be very diverse and beautiful.
What are your go-to choices for high country gardens?
A Waterwise Grouping (starts with the foreground, moving back):
- Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata): Montana's state grass, this extremely drought-tolerant perennial bunchgrass grows in large erect bunches from two to three feet tall
- Indian blanket flower ‘Goblin' (Gaillardia aristata ‘Goblin'): A long-blooming dwarf variety with a strong orange and yellow color
- Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha): A short grass native that forms seed heads early and retains them through the season
- Salvia ‘Blue Hill' (Salvia nemorosa ‘Blue Hill'): Easy to grow, salvias perform best in full sun; this variety offers an intense blue-violet color
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa): A mint family native with large lilac flowers that are very attractive to pollinators
- ‘Autumn Brilliance' serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance'): A great small tree with early white blooms, edible fruit and red fall color
Monika Hellwegen and Azul Cobb
Carlotta from Paradise
505-983-1109
carlottafromparadise.com
People are often surprised by your gardens. Why is that?
The natural landscape in New Mexico is very stark, so when people step into one of our gardens they are often surprised because it looks so lush and green. We achieve this by working with a lot of different plants at a variety of heights, in colors that really stand out. So there will be tall grasses, smaller shrubs, clumps of perennials and blooms throughout the planting year. Even if an entire garden can't be lush, we always incorporate pockets of lushness to satisfy the eye.
Our designs always include an area of stonework that functions as the anchor of the garden. This structure provides a focal point that is especially important in places that experience a winter when there is nothing growing or blooming. We find that stonework, especially when used in a curved path or wall, also facilitates the flow that our gardens are known for, at once separating and uniting different spaces.
What inspires your designs?
Our influences vary depending on a garden's location. For rural gardens, the natural landscape is the greatest catalyst for our designs. Our goal there is to create a flow with nature, so we integrate native plants into the garden to allow the designed space to merge with the native countryside. If we're designing a more enclosed space like a courtyard, or perhaps an in-town residence, we're strongly influenced by Oriental and Mediterranean designs, and the very detailed stonework characteristic of Andalusian designs.
What role does water conservation play in your designs?
Here in New Mexico, most places are not built to deal with drainage issues. Roofs are typically flat and the ground is very dry, so runoff is a problem. For residential projects, we build a French drain that feeds runoff water into an underground pipe that can be directed to trees, a perennial area or a dry riverbed. We also recommend that clients install water-catchment systems so they can collect rainwater and use it for irrigation as needed.
Smart gardening techniques also help to conserve water. A plant will use less water when drawing from a healthy soil than a bad or clay soil, so we get off to a good start by working a lot of organic topsoil into the existing soil. Next, when we design dense plantings to achieve a lush look, we're also creating microclimates. As a result, the soil around those plantings doesn't dry out as much. Once we've created that moisture, we keep it in—feeding the soil and plants in the process—by mulching our gardens with organic mulch.
What is the secret to creating inviting outdoor spaces?
We carefully consider the view of the garden from every window in the house to ensure each one offers a special experience. For example, we like to plant shrubs or trees that have a bit of sound to them outside bedroom windows so at night, you can hear a nice sound as you're falling asleep. Water features are placed so they can be seen and heard from within the house and we select spouts of varying sizes to create different sounds. In this way, we're creating gardens that can be experienced from all parts of the garden—and the house.
We love to connect the natural surroundings with the garden and lead people outside into nature, perhaps through a meandering path here or a sitting area there. Each garden we design offers at least two little resting spots that offer different views of the house and the garden. Rather than just sitting on a patio and looking out at the garden, you're called out into it.
When budgets are tight, what's the best way to make a big impact?
Start with a plan. Then, as time and money allow, pick priority areas to work on, making sure that you can really see them through; these areas should look truly finished when you're done.
A smart place to begin is with hardscaping. It could be a wall, a patio, or just a decorative sitting area with a small stone design. Even a small element of hardscaping can give the garden some basic structure and a bit of character. Next, add trees or shrubs—fewer and larger is best—to add some verticality to the space. Now you've done the heavy work and have a basic structure that you can add to later. A garden does not need a huge amount of plants as long as you have the major design elements at the right strategic points.
What's hot now in landscape design?
Sustainability. More and more people are excited about saving their water and growing their own vegetables and herbs. They're requesting more space for a vegetable garden and they want it to be integrated with the rest of the garden, not separated as before. If they have a fountain, they want to power it with a solar pump.
We've also noticed that while people still like to look at wide views, they are increasingly interested in intimate spots—very concentrated and simple spaces, yet with attention to the details. We've never done as many courtyards as we're doing now.
What's your favorite garden accessory?
A fountain. We used to create more elaborate waterways, but now our goal is to keep it very simple while maintaining the sound of water. Nature profits so much from it and water loss is minimal. We're wild for natural wood, too. We almost always integrate at least one bench or trellis by custom wood designer Jimmy Conway into our gardens. These aren't your typical trellises; they're more contemporary and we love to use them on a wall or fence or as a divider. You can grow vines, morning glories or any climber you want on them; in shady spots, we love climbing hydrangea. It just adds to the lushness of the garden.
Tell us about a few of your favorite shrubs.
- New Mexico privet (Forestiera neomexicana): A deciduous native shrub that can be grown into a dense hedge or pruned to form a multi-stemmed small tree. A lovely green color and striking fan shape are punctuated by dark blue berries later in the year
- Silver buffalo berry (Shepherdia argentea): A tough, cold-hardy shrub with a silver-green leaf that can be limbed up for use as a small tree. Female plants bear heavy crops of brilliant red berries
- Big sage (Artemisia tridentata): A low-care evergreen native shrub renowned for its aromatic silver leaves
- Penstemons: Penstemon pinifolius, available in red, yellow and blue varieties, is very hardy and much less delicate than some of the other penstemons. Penstemon cardinalis features unusually deep red blooms that hang gracefully off tall spikes, while Penstemon pseudospectabilis offers long spikes of hot pink flowers that contrast beautifully with large gray leaves
- Curl-leaf mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius): A broadleaf evergreen with shiny, deep-green foliage that contrasts nicely with whitish bark
- Missouri evening primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa): This non-aggressive variety features huge, long-lasting four-inch bright-yellow blossoms, followed by seed pods that look like an exotic fruit
Christy Ten Eyck
Ten Eyck Landscape Architects
602-468-0505
teneyckla.com
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Do your designs have a common theme?
We strive to create regional gardens, outdoor spaces that reflect the natural surroundings and serve as a transition between architecture and nature. Our designs have a greater purpose than just providing beauty. They are restorative, high-performance landscapes that soak up and filter stormwater, and that create urban wildlife habitats and microclimates. They are also healing spaces where the urban dweller can connect with nature.
How do you facilitate that connection?
People should be able to enjoy every part of their property. With proper site planning, a house can be positioned in such a way that microclimates are created around it: places that are great to spend time in during the morning hours, others that are shaded from the afternoon sun, and so on. A good example is the residential project pictured below. When I first visited the site, the front entry was dominated by a large, circular asphalt driveway. When you looked out of the house you saw nothing but cars; there was no space for outdoor living. We solved the problem by creating a parking court and reclaiming the front yard, transforming it into a native garden with a path that leads to a new terrace at the front entry.
Are there sustainable ways to incorporate water into a desert garden?
Because we work in Phoenix and Austin, water conservation has always been a major consideration for us. People who live in the Southwest need to have a connection with water, but perhaps not in the traditional way. So, we start by creating places that harvest water, perhaps a small cistern that collects the condensate from the air conditioning system, then funnels it to the landscape. The habitat that is created by the funneling of water is much like the ephemeral arroyos of Arizona. If we do incorporate a water feature, it is always limited in size, much like the simple water features of Spain that use very little water to great effect.
Which do you prefer to work with: native plants or exotic?
We work primarily with native plants, but I do appreciate some exotic species, especially food-bearing trees like citrus trees. I love to incorporate those for an element of urban agriculture.
What are your go-to plant choices for desert gardens?
- Native mesquite (Prosopis velutina): A low-branched, broad spreading tree, sometimes a large shrub, with 14 to 30 pairs of slightly fuzzy leaflets per leaf. Clusters of white or pale yellow flowers bloom in early summer
- Justicia californica (Chuparosa): A low-maintenance shrub with a high drought tolerance, full sun preference and brilliant red tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds
- Slipper plant (Pedilanthus macrocarpa): A slow-growing succulent plant that bears unusual orange-red slipper-shaped flowers in mid summer, often followed by reddish fruit
- Desert milkweed (Asclepias subulata): A twiggy, drought-tolerant shrub with evergreen stems and yellow, tubular flowers in spring to late fall
- Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens): A robust, perennial bunchgrass with narrow, two-foot-high plumes rising above light-green blades
Jim Verdone
Verdone Landscape Architects
307-733-3062
verdonelandarch.com
What inspires your designs?
We try to remain true to the existing landscape; we don't want to impose another look, so we work with the regional vernacular and, more specifically, the site itself. I don't mind if at the end of the day people don't know that we've even been there. We work in very natural and spectacular settings so we don't need to make a big statement. Instead, it's about creating a connection between the house and the landscape.
How do you achieve that connection?
We get a lot of our clues from what's happening on the site—the ecosystem and the character of the landscape. Is it an open site with wide views? Is it a forested site? The process of preserving and enhancing what's already there really drives the design. Materials are an important step in the process, too. The Green Lane residence's site (pictured here) was once occupied by a sawmill, so there was a lot of rusted equipment and parts lying around. We wanted to bring that history into our design, so we incorporated elements of COR-TEN steel. When it comes to plant selection, for us it's about staying indigenous and honest to the area. Jackson hole has a pretty harsh climate that doesn't allow us to branch out much in terms of plant material.
We also look at the environmental systems that exist on the property and try to enhance those and incorporate them into the design. For example, the Green Lane residence (pictured here) occupies a site that is adjacent to the Snake River and protected by a levee system that was built in the 1950s. Those levees had some unintended consequences. Stands of cottonwoods adjacent to the river depend on periodic flooding to regenerate themselves, but because the water was being controlled, the cottonwood overstory was disappearing and the wetlands were being degraded. So, our goal for this design was to counteract some of those negative impacts. We enhanced the wetlands and introduced water elements that would help sustain the cottonwood overstory. Of course, these were visual elements, too, but aesthetics weren't the driving force behind the design.
And what about sustainability?
Sustainability is a natural byproduct of our design philosophy. Much of our work is done in environmentally sensitive areas, so we're always thinking about protecting wildlife, working with the climate, using native plants and reclaimed materials— Mother Nature brow beats us into thinking about things in the context of sustainability! That being said, we're fully on board with the concept of sustainability and these days, we're trying to integrate it more into our practice in terms of how we conduct our day-to-day business.
When is the best time to hire a landscape architect?
A good design begins with the siting and design of the house, so it's ideal for homeowners to pull their entire team together at the onset of the project so the initial design is a democratic process. Very important decisions can be made from day one that may not cost that much but that can pay off in spades. Sometimes a client will work with an architect first, so decisions are made in the context of interior spaces, not exterior ones. The design of the interior spaces of course impacts the exterior massing, which has an impact on the landscaping and views and the diversity of spaces that exist around the house. If the landscape architect isn't involved until the house is well underway, it's much harder to make fundamental structural changes.
What are your go-to choices for high country gardens?
- Blue flax (Linum lewisii): A two- to three- foot perennial with delicate leaves and satiny sky-blue flowers from late spring through mid-summer
- Blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata): A drought-tolerant flowering plant in the sunflower family boasting vivid combinations of yellow and reddish orange
- Forget-me-not: Any of the numerous species of the plant genus Myosotis, these delicate five-petalled blue flowers grow profusely in clusters on straggly stems
- Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa): Growing in dense tufts, this ornamental grass adds interest and texture with masses of fine, hairlike leaves
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): A pleasantly aromatic plant with delicate fern-like leaves and clusters of small, white, or sometimes pink, flowers
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